


Something Borrowed

by Tangela



Series: Boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit [9]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE, Hank Anderson Swears, It's a bit late but it was for an exchange so, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 16:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17328281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangela/pseuds/Tangela
Summary: It's Connor's first Christmas, and Hank's got more than just work to deal with at the DPD.





	Something Borrowed

**Author's Note:**

> I realise that it's way past Christmas, but this was part of a fic exchange set up in a Discord server I'm a part of, and well, I spent some time on it and it's kinda cute, so I'm posting it. Happy (super late) holidays!

It’s the middle of December, and the office has gotten into its usual way of festivities. It’s not a time of the year that Hank’s particularly comfortable with, but with everything that’s gone on in the past few months, he’s had something of a change of heart. It’s not that he’s in love with the holiday all of a sudden, but things sure have changed since Connor moved in. Having someone else there, to help him into a routine, to take the bottle off him when he’d clearly had enough, was something he didn’t realise he needed again until he had it. He owes a lot to Connor, but he’s not sure how to word it. He’s never been the best at expressing his feelings. He suspects Connor already knows. Probably better than he does himself.

Hank’s at his desk, watching Gavin try to work his way to the coffee machine without stepping under the mistletoe. Whoever’s hung it up has found the perfect spot for it, no one can get anywhere in the break room without someone trying to make a move. Of course it’s all in jest, and Fowler’s warned them that if he gets even one single complaint about it, it’s coming down and that’s the end of it. He received a room of mumbled “yes, sir”s in reply, as if they were children being told off by their father and not grown adults in law enforcement.

Connor’s come around to Hank’s desk to watch too. Tina’s the only other person in the room with Gavin, and she’s been dying to get him since the thing was put up. Hank’s willing to bet that she was the one who put it up in the first place. It’s not that they’re interested in each other, but best friends do love to make each other’s lives a misery in the name of fun. Gavin makes one wrong move and it’s all over for him, Tina’s swooping in to plant a kiss right on the lips before she makes a run for it, Gavin calling her what can only be every expletive he knows.

Hank laughs to himself, turning back to his computer. Connor’s still perched on his desk, and Hank looks up to find him still staring into the break room, even though Tina and Gavin are long gone.

“Something on your mind?” Hank asks, and Connor turns to him.

“What’s the point in…that?” he asks, gesturing to the mistletoe.

Hank shakes his head. “Just some silly Christmas tradition. You’ve never heard of mistletoe?”

“This _is_ my first Christmas, you know.”

Hank pulls a face. “Right, yeah, sorry. Well, if two people are under the mistletoe, they’re supposed to kiss. I mean, you don’t have to, but…Just, uh, y’know, watch yourself, alright?”

Connor tilts his head slightly. “What do you mean by that?”

Hank wants the ground to open up and swallow him. “Y’know, it’s just, you’re a- you’re a pretty good-looking guy.”

Connor’s still looking at him, and Hank can feel his face beginning to burn with embarrassment.

“Haven’t you got work to be doing, instead of sitting there staring at me?” he asks gruffly, desperate for Connor to go away already.

“Sorry, Lieutenant,” Connor murmurs, returning to his own desk.

Hank runs a hand through his hair with a sigh.

_Way to go, moron._

\--

As the days go by, Hank notices that Connor seems to be spending more and more time in the break room, which isn’t like him at all. He doesn’t need rest the way a human does, and he doesn’t eat or drink, so what’s the point? At first he thought that maybe Connor had wanted to try out the mistletoe for himself, but every time someone enters the room, he walks as far away from it as possible. It isn’t until Connor walks right into him when he’s in to refill his mug of coffee that Hank realises something’s up.

“Oh! Lieutenant, I’m sorry, I didn’t…realise.”

Connor trails off when he sees that Hank’s looking up. When Hank looks back at him, it’s to find a light blush creeping across Connor’s cheeks. Hank wasn’t even aware that androids could blush.

“It’s fine, mug’s empty, uh…”

Hank catches Connor wet his bottom lip before he quickly steps aside.

“I, um, right,” is all he says before he practically marches out of the room and back to his desk.

Hank stands there for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, until he notices Gavin making a broken heart gesture with his hands through the glass and laughing. Hank makes a much ruder gesture of his own.

\--

Despite their first little altercation with the mistletoe, Connor’s still spending a lot of time in the break room, and it’s starting to drive Hank mad not knowing why. There must be someone that Connor likes, right? That has to be it. He’s waiting for them. But who? He’s dodged half the office by this point, including Hank. And Hank hates how his heart sinks when he realises that.

_Get it together, already._

Still, he can’t help but notice that almost every time he goes to refill his mug of coffee, Connor’s almost right on his heels after him. Maybe this is Connor’s new way of observing humans, maybe he’s trying to give Hank a breakdown. Either way, it has to stop. Hank can only take so much of Connor walking into him.

When Hank turns to leave again, coffee in hand, Connor’s standing under that little piece of plastic that’s beginning to become the bane of Hank’s work life.

_Oh, fuck it._

“Since we’re both here and all,” Hank says, pressing a quick kiss to Connor’s cheek before heading back to his desk. He doesn’t dare turn around, doesn’t want to see Connor’s face after that. And what the fuck even _was_ that?

He quickly glances over at the door of the break room. Connor’s leaving, and Hank tries to busy himself with whatever he can find on his desk. He needn’t bother, Connor’s off elsewhere. Relief floods through Hank, and then, just as quickly, worry sets in. He tries to take a sip of his coffee, missing his mouth completely in his distracted state and spilling a good amount of it around himself. He manages to stop a string of swears from decorating the already colourful office as he pats at the slowly growing wet patch on his shirt.

_What a fucking day._

\--

No mention is made of what happened between them when Connor eventually returns to his desk, and Hank can’t tell if he’s relieved or pissed off. He quickly notices that Connor’s behaviour has only gotten stranger, even by his usual android standards. He’s quieter for one thing, and that’s not like him at all. And Hank catches him staring at him on more than one occasion.

“Cut it out, already. You’re freaking me out,” he gripes.

“Sorry, Lieutenant,” Connor replies, but he offers no explanation as to why he was staring in the first place.

Hank sighs, but doesn’t press him further, fixing the collar of his coat. “You ready to go?”

“Actually…” Connor looks off for a moment before turning his attention back to Hank. “I have some more work I’d like to finish up here.”

Hank scoffs. “You? Behind in work? That’s a first.”

“There’s just something I need to clear up first. Have a safe journey home.”

“Yeah…Yeah, okay. I’ll see you later,” Hank replies.

He can’t stop thinking about it on the ride home. There’s clearly something not right. He’s not making it up, right? At least…he doesn’t think he is. Maybe he’s looking for something that isn’t there.

He sighs, trying to relax himself in front of the TV as Sumo curls up beside him on the couch. So he’d kissed Connor. It was just a peck on the cheek. That was it. It was nothing, right? Connor isn’t mad at him, he’s just at work. It’s just a big misunderstanding. Right.

Eventually the front door opens, and Hank’s never been more grateful for company in his life, if only to distract himself from his own thoughts. Even if said company is the reason for those thoughts.

“Get everything sorted at work?” Hank asks, pretending he’s invested in whatever’s on the TV.

“Yes,” Connor replies as he hangs up his coat.

Hank’s about to say something else when he hears Connor walk past, and a door close somewhere down the hall. So much for that.

He doesn’t stay up much longer than that. He waits a little while, to see if Connor’s going to make an appearance again, but figures he’s powered down for the night, and makes his way to bed too.

\--

When Hank wakes up the next morning, it’s to find Connor already awake and in the kitchen. There’s nothing unusual about that, Connor’s always up before him, but something feels off to Hank. There’s something still not quite right with Connor, and Hank’s got a sneaking suspicion that he’s the reason for that. But what the hell had he even done? Connor had seen Hank at his worst and barely bat an eyelid, so just how bad was it?

“Uh, Connor?”

Connor looks up from the tablet in front of him with a small smile. “Good morning.”

“Can we, uh, can we talk?”

“Of course. What’s on your mind?”

Now that he’s been given a window, Hank has no idea what he’s supposed to say. “I, uh, I feel like I’ve done something to hurt you in some way, and I can’t for the life of me figure it out.”

Connor tilts his head slightly. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been all…weird lately, but it’s really only with me, and I’m getting the feeling I upset you. If it’s something I said or did, just let me know, alright? So I don’t fuck up again.”

Connor stands up, and Hank can’t help but notice that the small smile is still there. But it’s different from before. It’s not nervous, no, it looks as if…Well, if Hank didn’t know any better, he’d say Connor’s trying not to laugh at him. And now he’s getting annoyed. He’s trying to apologise, Connor doesn’t need to make him look like an idiot on top of it.

“Look, would you just tell me already?”

Connor’s standing in front of Hank. Far closer than he normally would, and Hank feels very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Connor hasn’t taken his eyes off him.

“I’ve been thinking,” Connor says eventually, “about what happened in the break room.”

_Oh._

Hank tries not to look mortified. “Con, that was just- Y’know, it was just-”

Just what? A joke? In keeping with tradition? Hank’s completely tongue-tied, and he can’t bring himself to finish his sentence. Especially not when Connor’s looking at him like that.

“At first, I was surprised. It seemed so out of character for you. But then I noticed how you reacted. Your facial expressions, your temperature.”

Hank wants nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him. “You scanned me? That’s a complete breach of fucking privacy and you know it.”

Connor shrugs, as if it doesn’t bother him that Hank’s upset. “What else am I supposed to do when you won’t talk? And besides…”

He takes another step forward, until he and Hank are almost nose to nose.

“…you missed.”

This is a lot to process all at once, and Lord knows Hank’s trying.

“What?”

“You missed,” Connor says again, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“You kissed me on the cheek,” Connor says coyly, “And I believe that it’s tradition to kiss the person on the lips. So…”

Connor looks up, and Hank follows his gaze.

A sprig of mistletoe is hanging from the ceiling between them.

“Where did you-?”

And then it dawns on Hank. Last night, when Connor stayed late at work.

“You _stole_ this?”

Connor shrugs. “Borrowed is more accurate. I’ll return it as soon as it’s served its purpose.”

Hank has no idea what to do with himself. Where to look, what to say. He’s at a complete loss. Of all the things he was expecting, this wasn’t it.

Connor’s still looking at him, and he realises he’s waiting for Hank to decide. He had started this, after all. Time for him to finish it.

He leans in, cupping Connor’s face with his hands, and kisses him gently. He thinks maybe that’s it, that’s all Connor wanted from him, but then Connor’s kissing him back, sliding his hands into Hank’s hair and pressing in close to him. Hank quickly finds himself being swept away by the overwhelming feeling of it all. He’s a little embarrassed to admit that it’s been a while, but it’s not just that. He wouldn’t feel this way if it was anyone else, and that…that scares him. Scares him far more than it should, and some part of him wants to run, get out of here and forget this had ever happened.

But some other part of him wants to stay right here, and see where all of this leads. Connor’s not like anyone he’s ever known, and he means that beyond the obvious fact that he’s made of plastic and wires.

He wants to say something, anything, but he suspects Connor already knows. Probably better than he does himself.

“Merry Christmas, Hank,” Connor says with a warm smile.

Hank smiles back. “Merry Christmas, Connor.”

For the first time in a long time, he means every word of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Two fics in one day? Shit, what's wrong with me?
> 
> My tumblr is [maybeishouldwritesomething](https://maybeishouldwritesomething.tumblr.com/) if you'd like to send a message or request. Kudos and/or comments are always greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
